Compare Car Insurance Esurance’s Ad Campaigns Esurance Commercials take on GEICO May 15, 2014 GEICO’s tagline is by now probably quite familiar: “Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.” When it first debuted, it was probably groundbreaking – fifteen percent is a lot of money, and fifteen minutes isn’t a lot of time. But we live in the future now, where we expect things to happen almost-instantaneously, and fifteen minutes feels like a lifetime. Esurance’s Commercials Undercuts GEICO’s Promise Esurance has caught on to this flaw in GEICO’s advertising campaign (and so had GEICO, it seems; fewer and fewer of their ads feature it with each passing month). Their most recent series of advertisements, since the demise of Erin Esurance , features folks of a certain age who are stuck in the past, unaware of the new cultural norms, or generally clueless. It’s a clever play on the idea that GEICO’s fifteen minutes is outdated and becoming irrelevant, and it’s funny.

“I Unfriend You!” In one Esurance commercial, Beatrice posts her vacation photos to her physical wall in her home, and invites her friends to come look at them. She also brags that she saved 15% on car insurance. When her more tech-savvy friend calls her out, Beatrice points to her and says “I unfriend you!” Of course, this is wrong. It’s so wrong that it almost detracts from the point of the ad – that there are better ways to save. Be Kind, Rewind In another Esurance TV ad, Larry tells the camera confidently that he saves time by not rewinding DVDs before returning them to…Redbox, I guess, since there really isn’t anywhere you can rent DVDs anymore. Anyway, he says that taking the time to rewind DVDs is crazy – and the implication, of course, is that so is taking 15 minutes to get a car insurance quote. Do Esurance’s Ads Work? Esurance’s new commercials are clever, endearing, and memorable – when I mention them around the office everyone knows what I’m talking about, and a friend has even taken to shouting at others “I unfriend you” when he is displeased with them.

(I kind of wish I was making that second thing up.) They target one of their biggest competitors (Esurance’s parent company, Allstate, is on the front lines with GEICO in terms of market share and advertising budget), and they do it by going after the ubiquitous catch phrase. If you’re paying attention to the clever, almost-subtle play, it’s a great dig at a competitor and boost for the company. However, as I mentioned before, this is the future – people are watching TV with their phones or tablets in their hands while they’re making dinner or herding children, and if they’re even watching the commercials, they aren’t always paying close attention. An advertisement that calls out another company’s slogan is running the risk of putting that other company in the mind of viewers. The first time I saw the new Esurance ad, I thought it was for GEICO – and I work in insurance marketing, so I’m paying pretty close attention to this sort of thing. The goal of most insurance companies’ advertising is to get people to think about insurance even if they aren’t thinking about insurance, on the hope that when the time comes to actually think about insurance, they’ll choose the company they’ve been thinking about.

However, a potential customer listening with half an ear might hear the wrong catchphrase from these advertisements. Apparently this is a risk Esurance decided they were willing to take: lampooning the competition was worth the risk of throwing them free business. And at the end of the day, the new Esurance commercials are pretty funny, and in the auto insurance industry, that seems to be what really matters. Compare Car Insurance Quotes Car Insurance: Get A Quote & You Could Save $500+ | GEICO Go Paperless Need to pay a bill, make a change, or just get some information? With just a few clicks you can access the GEICO Partner your boat insurance policy is with to find your policy service options and contact information. Read more Call us at (888) 532-5433 to make changes to your life insurance policy. Helpful life insurance agents, who can assist you in servicing your policy, are just a phone call away. Your financial situation changes over the years. Make sure you have enough liability protection and change your umbrella policy as necessary. Call us at (866) 272-5192 for any changes you need to make to your umbrella policy.

Or login to your auto or cycle policy to make an umbrella payment. For Europ Assistance USA, visit the Identity Protection Member Site or call (800) 206-4065 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Assurant flood policyholders can call (855) 395-9765 . All other policyholders can call (855) 716-2302 . Our experienced agents can help you with any paperwork and to manage your policy. Call us if you have any questions about this valuable coverage. Call us at (844) 810-1598 for any changes you need to make to your policy. Our licensed specialists will be happy to assist you. You can make a payment or view your policy online anytime. You can make a payment online for your overseas insurance policy, anytime. To Request Policy Service From the U.S.: Call 1-800-248-4998 . Calls are forwarded to our European office, so please call M-F 2:30 AM - 11:00 AM (ET) From overseas: call an agent in your country .

You can also email overseas@geico.com Read more Need to pay a bill, make a change, or just get some info? With just a few clicks you can look up the GEICO Partner your Business Owners Policy is with to find policy service options and contact information. Read more Need to pay a bill, make a change, or just get some info? With just a few clicks you can look up the GEICO Partner your General Liability Policy is with to find policy service options and contact information. Read more Need to pay a bill, make a change, or just get some info? With just a few clicks you can look up the GEICO Partner your Professional Liability Policy is with to find policy service options and contact information. Ad of the Day: Geico Debuts 'Did You Know?' Campaign | Adweek Advertising & Branding Owls: dumber than you might think Must be nice to have pummeled your audience with enough advertising that they think of your pitch as literally common knowledge. That's the enviable position Geico finds itself in, as it launches yet another mini campaign through The Martin Agency.

There is hardly a more famous line in advertising than "Fifteen minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance"—not because it's so special, but because it's so ubiquitous. The new ads play off that. They begin with someone reciting the line after spying it on billboards or in magazine ads. "Everybody knows that," someone else replies dismissively—prompting the first person, feeling lightly chastised, to offer other factoids that might be more surprising. "Well, did you know that some owls aren't that wise?" a wife tells her husband in one of two launch spots, as the scene shifts to a pair of owls having a particularly dumb conversation. "Well, did you know that Old MacDonald was a really bad speller?" one co-worker tells another in the other spot. That ad then shows a spelling bee, in which the farmer indeed proves his gross inadequacy at spelling the simplest barnyard words. The campaign is classic Geico: a rigid, repeatable structure; goofy characters; quietly offbeat humor. It's also a great example of the marketer having its cake and eating it, too.

The campaign is all about how the "Fifteen minutes" line is so familiar, it's barely worth saying—and yet each ad opens with exactly that. That's one way to subvert what might be actual consumer fatigue around the line, and give it yet another airing. From setup to payoff, the "Did you know?" structure might be a little less smooth than some other Geico campaigns, like the rhetorical questions work or the "Happier than" stuff. But like most other Geico work, it affords the creatives an almost unlimited canvas for exploring amusing plot lines. If "Owl" and "Old MacDonald" don't do it for you, maybe some others will. The campaign launches today, and more spots will roll out in the coming months. CREDITS Vice President, Marketing: Ted Ward Manager, Broadcast Production and Agency Relations: Amy Hooks Marketing Planner: Amy Ruddell Agency: The Martin Agency, Richmond, Va.

Chief Creative Officer: Joe Alexander Senior Vice President, Group Creative Director: Steve Bassett Vice President, Creative Director: Wade Alger Senior Copywriter: Neel Williams Vice President, Senior Art Director: Justin Harris Vice President, Account Director: Brad Higdon Account Supervisor: Parker Collins Welcome to Empire State Development Success in Western New York GEICO Insurance Expands Amherst, New York Office You wouldn't think that the Buffalo, New York region-with its reputation for cold and snowy winters-would be an ideal climate for geckos, but in 2009 New York Governor David A. Paterson announced that GEICO insurance will expand its operations in Amherst, New York. GEICO, well-known for its advertisements featuring a small, green talking lizard, as well as the "fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance" tagline is a privately owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway and the third largest automobile insurance carrier in the United States. GEICO began its relationship with Western New York back in 2003 when it chose to increase its operations and build a new facility in New York State.

The company commenced a two phase project to construct a $ 36.3 million, 250,000 square foot building for sales, service and claims handling. The project resulted in the creation of more than 1,500 jobs, 25 percent more than originally estimated. With a capacity for 2,500 workers, the building was a natural place to expand when GEICO wanted to grow that division and back up its center located in Fredericksburg, Virginia. This latest expansion is expected to add another 300 jobs in Western New York, as well as projected growth in the insurance division. GEICO is a major local development success story, illustrative of the economic sense it makes to locate large back office operations in the Western New York region. Buffalo and Western New York have always had a rich tradition of working for and supporting the insurance industry, at reasonable costs and wage rates, no less. That, along with the area's legendary good work ethic, meant both dollars and sense to GEICO. Undoubtedly it will to more insurance companies in the future.

John Zinno, Vice President of GEICO Insurance Agency, started up GEICO operations locally when the company opened its Buffalo office in Amherst in 2004. He said that he could always count on hiring from a pool of very valuable people. "We'll be able to expand our business by tapping into the talented workforce in Western New York," Zinno said. "GEICO is committed to providing more of our customers with the valuable insurance products they need like homeowners, renters and boat coverage. We are excited that Western New York will help us achieve this goal." This project was a model of inter-governmental and regional cooperation from the start, with ESD spearheading the project. The company worked with both the Town of Tonawanda and Town of Amherst to obtain Regional Significant Project (RSP) certification in order to qualify for state aid benefits under the Empire Zone program. As a result, GEICO will obtain nearly $1.5 million in Empire Zone tax credits over the next five years from ESD.

In addition, as components of the incentive package, GEICO will receive state sales tax exemptions on equipment purchases through action taken by the Amherst IDA, low cost electrical power from the New York Power Authority and workforce training from the Erie and Niagara County Workforces. "ESD's Western New York office provides a variety of assistance to help business of all sizes; whether you're a GEICO or an entrepreneur looking to start a small business," said ESD Western New York Regional Director Christina Orsi "We work closely with all our partners to help business build new facilities, relocate, expand or enter the international market. We're proud, but not surprised, GEICO decided to expand here, along with the likes of other internationally known employers like Yahoo!, Roswell Park Cancer Institute, M&T Bank, Rich Products and Moog. " GEICO (Government Employees Insurance Company) is the third-largest private passenger auto insurer in the United States. GEICO provides auto insurance coverage for 9 million policyholders and insures more than 16 million vehicles. As a member of the Berkshire Hathaway group of companies, GEICO is rated A++ for financial strength by A.M. Best Company and ranks at the top of several national customer satisfaction surveys.

A New Day, a New Building, a New Future in WNY for New Era Cap Baseball: It has long been a part of our national culture, once described by philosopher Morris Raphael Cohen as "America's national religion" and each warm summer day, when the players take to the field, they are sporting New Era Cap Company hats. New Era, the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of the official on-field cap worn by every Major League Baseball team and their minor league affiliates, is headquartered right here in Buffalo, New York. The company also maintains agreements with other licensed entities including NHL, NBA and over 200 colleges and universities in the United States. The company's roots in Western New York date back 90 years ago when 34-year-old Ehrhardt Koch persuaded his aunt to take out a second mortgage on her home to raise money for a fledgling headwear company. With $5,000, 14 employees and a promise to his aunt that her children would always have a job, Ehrhardt founded the New Era Cap Company on Genesee Street in Buffalo.

Today, the company is a global homerun, not just in the Greater Buffalo Niagara Region, but in the 40 countries where its hats are sold. However, things looked grim last year when New Era Cap thought it might have to close its doors in Western New York. A downturn in the market had the longtime family-held company on the economic ropes, and the Buffalo community agonized it might lose the business. Fortunately, after months of hard work, compromise and the new "can-do" attitude that has become the trademark of New York, Governor David A. Paterson announced that New Era Cap had been saved-it will maintain its manufacturing facility in Derby, New York. As a result, some 459 existing jobs were saved, with the possibility of another 75 jobs being added if the economy recovers. Originally, the company had three manufacturing plants: one each in Jackson, Alabama; Demopolis, Alabama; and Derby, New York, with all but one slated to be closed. Our Derby plant won out based on productivity, efficiency, worker seniority and overall lower costs. In the end, the concerns of the union (CWA) and the incentives offered by the New York economic development team resulted in the Derby plant's selection.

The deal will result in over $3 million in capital investment (M&E) to the Derby plant, insuring its competitive and long-term future. The deal went down like this: led by efforts at ESD, an incentive package was devised for New Era. ESD's Western New York Regional Director Christina Orsi explains that a coordinated effort went into preparing an incentive package and it was provided within 48 hours of the company's request. The company was eligible for income tax credits through the Empire Zone program, and will likely receive aid and assistance from other New York agencies, including energy efficiency financing from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and aid in the selection and training of its employees from the New York State Department of Labor. Additionally, the Erie County Industrial Development Agency (ECIDA), working together with the Town of Evans and the Lake Shore Central School District, offered property tax relief via a payment-in-lieu-of taxes (PILOT) agreement and various sales tax abatements. National Grid has also provided generous assistance for investment in electrical infrastructure and equipment through its own grant programs.

In addition to its Derby manufacturing location, New Era Cap also occupies the former Federal Reserve Bank in Buffalo-an exciting reuse of that facility as the leading headwear manufacturer's headquarters. Now producing more than 35 million caps per year and outfitting today's biggest stars, the unwavering determination, relentless persistence and overwhelming passion of its workers remain a global homerun, as well as a manufacturing staple in Western New York. Fittingly, the "Originator of the True Fitted," New Era remains in Buffalo, where the company originally started. Keeping the world's premier headwear brand in the region is another ESD success story. connect Geico Company info and customer reviews QuoteCarInsurance is NOT affiliated with Geico. Click here to read more... The name GEICO originated in 1936, when the founder, Leo Goodwin, decided to start a business that would provide customers with cheaper rates than they were currently paying. He figured that he could select prime customer groups and market his business directly to them. His first customers came from the ranks of government employees and military personnel.

His marketing strategy worked and as a result, Goodwin was able to reduce his operating costs, which he passed on to his customers in the form of discounts to the policyholders. Today, GEICO continues to operate in the same way by managing its business costs and helping its customers save money on their insurance costs. GEICO continued to grow and in 1996, it became a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, a company headed by Warren Buffett, one of the most successful investors in the country. The property-casualty insurance program offered by Berkshire Hathaway has been named the most admired in the country by Fortune magazine, two years in a row. U.S. Military personnel have been well treated by GEICO, as they were among the company's first customers in 1936 and remain loyal to the company today. GEICO helps the families of the troops by providing discount programs and service options that best suit their needs, both in times of war and in times of peace. GEICO does not specialize in just property-casualty insurance. It offers a full line of insurance products, such as motorcycle, home, vehicle boat, apartment, mobile home and personal umbrella insurance policies.

GEICO Ads / Advertising / Mascot GEICO advertisements can be seen on television and heard on the radio. In addition, GEICO has a numerous amount of print advertisements, mainly in the form of mail circulars. Anyone who has heard, seen or read any of these ads is very familiar with GEICO's tagline "fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance". In the beginning, the GEICO ads were animated with characters performing foolish activities, such as pressing a button that launched a cannon that fired back at them. The voice over could be heard saying, "We all do stupid things. Paying too much for car insurance shouldn't be one of them". The ads were very short and usually there were two ads shown back-to-back. The GEICO mascot is a reptile called the DAY Gecko. It was created by the Martin Agency was sometimes used in the company ads. The most recent GEICO mascot to appear in ads is a CGI creature that was generated by Framestore CFC. The fist time the gecko appeared in the ads was during the Screen Actors Guild strike of 1999.

The company showed its ingenuity in this because the strike disallowed the use of live actors for ads, and since the gecko was not a live actor, the ad did not violate the strike policy. The original commercial, with Kelsey Grammer doing the voice over had the gecko pleading with people to stop calling him by mistake when they mistook gecko for GEICO. In commercials that followed, the Martin Agency had the gecko speaking with a Cockney accent, because as they said this was something the listening audience would not expect. The current voice over for the gecko in the ads is the voice of Jake Wood, a British actor and comedian. The gecko character has also taken on a more working class attitude, in an effort to make him appear more human. Steve Bassett, the creative director of the Martin Agency explained that as they got to know the character better and as computer advances were made in the area of animation, they strove to make the gecko appear more like "the guy next door". He says that "he looks a lot more real than he's looked before". Another direction that the GEICO commercials take is one of misdirection.

Upon first viewing the ad, it seems to be an advertisement for a completely different product and in some cases it may not even be an ad for a product at all. Suddenly the main idea comes through in the plug for GEICO. There are many fictional characters used in these advertisements, such as the Speed Racer And Bill Dutchess. Real people also appear in the GEICO ads, such a married couple about to separate or Tony Little, who is making fun of himself. You may even think that you are watching a commercial advertising a hair loss product or a nature show about fish. If you are a fan of the TV reality show "Big Brother" you might get really interested in a commercial for a new reality show called "Tiny House" in which contestants have to live in a house only half the regular size, only to find it is a GEICO commercial. "Why haven't you called GEICO"? This is the question asked at the end of many of the latest GEICO commercials featuring the promotion of fictional products. Some of the ads that appeared in 2006 featured such things as long distance phone service, tomato soda, and various fast foods.

Each one of the ads used the tagline "but it won't save you any money on car insurance". With this type of advertising using fictional products, GEICO is using tactics similar to that used by advertisements featuring the Energizer Bunny. The most recent GEICO character to take to the screen in commercials is the Caveman. A 10-second spot that appears to be a new interview with the caveman is actually an ad for GEICO. GEICO uses different ad campaigns to promote its products to a wide range of customers. They are entertaining because of the nature of the ad and the way they use situations to make the viewers laugh. For example in one ad, a baseball manager is delivering bad news to a pitcher that he will be relieved from the game and in the next breath tells him good news, such as how he saved money by switching his car insurance to GEICO. Some ads are parodies of others that are often seen on TV and some feature actors from actual shows that are being spoofed in the GEICO ad, such as Sebastian Siegel appearing in a spoof of a Soap Opera.

Jerry Lambert, an actor parodies the typical insurance agent in another series of GEICO ads in which he is reading a book of insurance fairy tales to kids who look very bored. In one segment of this series, Jerry reads an imaginary email in which the writer says if the gecko could do a dance called "The Robot" this would really be a bomb, meaning it would be something really good. The screen then cuts to a shot of the gecko dancing to a melody called "Sweet World' by the Comega Men. When the shot goes back to the insurance agent trying to do the same dance, it is clear he is not as flexible in his movements as the gecko or even a robot. Some of the GEICO ads feature stories from actual customers who provide details about the ways in which GEICO provided them with assistance. However, these ads are narrated by well known celebrities, such as Charo, Charlton Heston, Verne Troyer, Little Richard, Burt Bacharach, Don LaFontaine and D.C. Douglas. This helps to give credence to GEICO as an insurance company that cares about it customers.

The advertisements in which cavemen deliver the pitch about GEICO have been well received by the viewing audience. These ads were also developed by the Martin Agency and center on Neanderthal cavemen portrayed as ordinary people, aside from the characteristic facial features. The tagline for these ads is that purchasing insurance from GEICO is "so easy, a caveman can do it". In the world of these ads, cavemen are alive and well in the modern world and do not behave in the typical caveman fashion. The main characters are wealthy, well educated and enjoy dining out at gourmet restaurants, partying with their friends and making the occasional visit to their therapist. The humor of these ads is that the cavemen appear so normal and resent the stereotype they have been given and therefore try to defend themselves against the idea of the typical caveman or cavewoman. Commercial actors are appearing in these ads that have proved to be very successful. In fact, the ads have been so successful that there is now a series of interactive websites, written and produced by the creative writers of GEICO's in-house team called the Caveman's Crib. In October 2007, a spin off series called Caveman debuted on ABC television.

2007 saw GEICO's launch of the website - My Great Rides - a social networking site for motorcycle owners. This is a place where bikers can share stories of trips they have taken, post photos of their bikes for others to view and to comment on the stories and pictures on the site. GEICO is the official sponsor of the number 7 car of the NASCAR Busch Series. Mike Wallace is the driver of this car. In the commercials, a young boy claims to be Mike's relative and a better driver than he is. The boy delivers the punch line by saying that when people see Mike Wallace and the number 7 car, the first thing they think about is saving money with GEICO. However, when they see him they will proclaim that he, Lauren Wallace, is the greatest racecar driver of all time. Some of the GEICO commercials take on the format of an interview. The viewer does not see the reporter and only hears the voice as he asks a young boy (Lauren Wallace) driving a go-kart what he thinks of Mike Wallace. The answer is not what one would suspect. He tells the reporter that Mike Wallace is trying to sell insurance, but he is out to win.

He threatens to "put him in the wall" if he comes hear, whether it is in a go-kart race, in the grocery store or in a remote controlled boat. There are new ads planned for this series in which Lauren will refer to himself as ready to strike from 100 miles away and as fast as "lightning in a bottle". In yet another series of GEICO ads, there are Youtube videos. In these videos, there are unreal actions, such as a fight in the hallway between mattresses. You might also see an ad with an unusual collection of expressions, done with a webcam by Brandon Hardesty of Youtube. The voice over for the videos delivers the GEICO tagline, "There may be better ways to spend 15 minutes online". Like the earlier ads, several of these videos are shown back to back. In September, 2007, GEICO released another series of ads, entitled The Real Scoop. These ads feature fictional characters such as Fred Flinstone and Jed Clampett in a type of parody of EI True Hollywood Story. These characters, which even includes a Cabbage Patch Kid, all own cars, which, of course, they have insured with GEICO.

The interviews are all fictitious as are the interviewers. GEICO's Competition Like all companies, GEICO has its share of competition. This competition includes insurance companies such as, State Farm, Allstate, Progressive, Nationwide and USAA. Many of GEICO's commercials react to and counter the claims of Progressive that they can quote the rates of other companies along with their own by stating that you can only get a GEICO quote from GEICO.com. The History of GEICO The names of Leo and Lillian Goodwin are well known to the GEICO associates. These were the founders of GEICO in the mid-1930's. As this was in the midst of the Great Depression, it was a risky time to get started in business. However, their efforts and risk really paid off as this company has grown to be one of the most successful and highly respected insurance companies from sea to sea. The name of the company is an acronym for its first customers - the Government Employees Insurance Company - GEICO. While he was working in Texas, Leo Goodwin came up with the business plan for the company. He figured that lower insurance costs would draw in customers, especially if he targeted the plan for a specific group.

He figured out a way to still earn a profit and offer lower premiums made good business sense and he was right in his assumptions. In 1936, GEICO took shape and opened its doors in Washington D.C. Lillian Goodwin played an active role in all aspects of the business, working alongside her husband to get the company started. She was a bookkeeper and was the perfect choice for taking over the company's accounting, but she also worked on the frontlines underwriting policies, setting rates, issuing the policies and marketing the lower insurance rates to the targeted group. This group was made up of employees of the federal government and the top three grades on noncommissioned Military personnel. By the end of the first year, GEICO had a staff of 12 and had sold 3700 insurance policies. 1948 was an important year for GEICO. An investment banker and friend of the couple, Lorimar Davidson, came on board and helped the Goodwins find new investors to replace the investors who had moved on to other, newer opportunities. One of these investors was Benjamin Graham, a business professor at Columbia University.

During his teaching career, Warren Buffett was one of his students and it was through Graham that Buffett learned about GEICO. A link was established between them and in 1951, Buffett became formally involved with GEICO, marking an important event in the company's history. According to Buffett, he took a train to Washington specifically to learn more about GEICO. Since it was a Saturday, the office was closed, but a janitor directed him to Davidson. That impromptu meeting was enough to make Buffett a believer in GEICO and he made his first purchase of the company stock. Upon Leo Goodwin's retirement in 1958, Davidson was named as his successor. Davidson was the one who would preside at the opening of the new company headquarters established in Chevy Chase, MD, in 1959, thirty0three years after the company first opened its doors. GEICO continued to experience success during the 1960's with virtually unbroken gains. In 1964, the company issued its one-millionth policy and in 1965, the insurance premiums reached $150 million.

That same year, the company expanded to opening a number of smaller sales offices where customers could walk in and even went further with its drive-in offices. By 1966, the company's net earnings had risen to a staggering $13 million. The weakening economy and the years of aggressive expansion had an effect on GEICO, which began to show during the 1970's. The company's loss reserves as well as the death of both of its founders - Lillian in 1970 and Leo in 1971 - meant led to a difficult decade for GECIO. GEICO persevered in spite of its difficulties and used the experience it had gained to strengthen its underwriting and reserving activities. This helped to build the reputation that the company enjoys today as a fiscally superior organization. Warren Buffett purchased GEICO stock for the second time in 1976 making him the owner of a total of I million shares in the company. In 1979, Lou Simpson joined GEICO in the position of chief investment officer. Geico is a registered trademark of Geico.

Geico is not affiliated with, nor does it endorse or sponsor, the contents of this webpage or the QuoteCarInsurance.com website. Trademarks referring to specific providers are used by QuoteCarInsurance.com for nominative purposes only: to truthfully identify the source of the products about which information is provided. Such trademarks are solely the property of their respective owners. Total 6 reviews Video - GEICO Rocky and Bullwinkle Commercial Rocky Mountains The Gecko's Journey | Mr. Peabody & Sherman Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia GEICO Rocky and Bullwinkle Commercial Rocky Mountains The Gecko's Journey 163pages on Metadata Description The GEICO Gecko is walking around the Rocky Mountains "GEICO's been helping people save money for over 75 years Subscribe now to the GEICO channel and get all the new commercials delivered to you automatically. Loving the commercials? Take a few minutes to get a car insurance quote with GEICO: GECKO: GEICO's been helping people save money for over 75 years. They've really stood the test of time. Much like these majestic Rocky Mountains. Which must be named after the... BULLWINKLE: That would be Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Mr. Gecko sir.

Obviously! ROCKY: Ahh come on Bullwinkle, they're named after... BULLWINKLE: Our first president George Rockington! GECKO: That doesn't even make any sense...Mr...uhh...Winkle. ANNCR: GEICO. Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance. Appears on these pages GEICO GEICO Submit YOUR Review GEICO The name GEICO originated in 1936, when the business was founded by Leo Goodwin. GEICO insurance was originally developed to target mainly military and government personnel. Leo Goodwin began his insurance business with the belief that he could offer vehicle insurance at lower rates by marketing his business straight to prime customer groups. In order to offer the lowest possible rates, Goodwin managed to keep the company’s operating costs low, thereby passing on the savings as up front discounts to policyholders. Today, GEICO still keeps their business costs low so that they can pass on discounts to their clientele. Berkshire Hathaway took on GEICO as a subsidiary in 1996. Warren Buffet, head of Berkshire Hathaway, has become one of the nation’s most successful investors.

Fortune Magazine has named Berkshire Hathaway’s property-casualty insurance operation the most admired in the United States for two years in a row. Since the founding of GEICO in 1936, the company has served the United States Military as best as possible with many special programs. Military customers can get special rates, discount options and more with GEICO insurance while serving the country during wartime and peacetime. These special rates routinely bring in more customers for GEICO. GEICO offers more than just vehicle insurance. Motorcycle, boat, home, apartment and mobile home insurance can be purchased though the company, as can personal umbrella protection. GEICO Advertising and the GEICO Mascots GEICO does their advertising in a variety of ways, including print, radio ads and television parody advertisements. Their print ads are comprised mainly of mail circulars. GEICO’s famous catch-phrase is “fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance”. Some of the first GEICO insurance ads were animated and were of people doing crazy and dangerous things, like pressing a button that would result in a cannon firing at them. “We all do stupid things.

Paying too much for car insurance shouldn’t be one of them,” was then heard via a voice-over. These commercials were short, and were aired by showing two commercials back-to-back but with different parodies. GEICO became even more popular with the introduction of their reptilian mascot. The GEICO gecko is a talking Day Gecko that was created by The Martin Agency and first appeared in 1999 during the popular Screen Actors Guild strike. The strike prevented the use of live actors, so the Gecko ad was born. The first commercial has the gecko pleading for people to stop calling him instead of GEICO, insinuating that they are mistaking gecko for GEICO. Kelsey Grammar was the first to do the voice for the gecko. Steve Bassett, a creative director for the Martin Agency, says that in following ads they changed the voice so that the GEICO gecko had an unexpected Cockney accent. Again, the accent changed to sound more like a working-class person in an effort to make people feel closer to him while also “humanizing” him. Basset states that, “As computer animation got better and as we got to know the character better, we did a few things.

We wanted to make him a little more guy-next-door. And he looks a lot more real than he’s looked before”. GEICO continued to offer a variety of commercials and ads. One very popular theme revolved around misdirection. The public will be watching what they think is a commercial for a totally different product, and then suddenly it changes into what is actually a GEICO commercial. Energizer is another company famous for using misdirection in its ads. Fictional characters have been used, such as Speed Racer and Bill Duchess. Real people, such as Tony Little, have also appeared in GEICO commercials. Other commercials have been of a hair loss doctor who switched to GEICO and saved money, a show about a fish, and a fictional soap opera based on a couple breaking up with one another. A set of GEICO ads was also produced that involved a fake reality show named “Tiny House”. In this show, “contestants” are forced to live in a half-scale house. Parody ads became popular in the promotion of GEICO insurance.

Fictional products such as tomato soda, long distance phone service, fast-food, and a reality television show were shown with the end slogan of “but it won’t save you any money on car insurance.” The commercial would then end with “Why haven’t you called GEICO?” The Energizer Bunny first used fictional characters in their commercials starting in the late ’80s, and GEICO’s commercials are reminiscent of those. Other ads would start with a character breaking some sort of bad news to someone else – for example, a pitcher being relieved by his baseball manager. They then offer the fact that they have good news, explaining that “I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to GEICO!” The kicker of the commercial is that that news really doesn’t help the other person. Some parodies included celebrities such as actor Sebastian Siegel. He played in one of the most watched “I’ve got good news” ads, a fictional soap opera parody for GEICO insurance. Another GEICO commercial series features actor Jerry Lambert playing a stereotypical boring insurance agent. One commercial shows him reading to kids, who are sitting there looking bored, from a book of insurance fairy tales.

Another one shows him reading an e-mail from a viewer who says it would be “the bomb,” meaning it would be great, if the Gecko would dance the “The Robot.” You then see the Gecko doing a graceful and smooth dance to a song called “Sweet World” by the band Comega Men. Afterwards, the camera cuts back to the insurance man trying to do the same dance, but with very stiff and awkward movements. Many celebrities have been featured in the GEICO ads that have been aired over the years. Charo, Charlton Heston, Burt Bacharach, Little Richard, Don LaFontaine, Peter Graves, and Verne Troyer are some of those who talk about their GEICO stories and experiences. The commercials then switched over to the Caveman Series. One of the first ones appeared to be a talking heads news interview, but instead were the cavemen. This series became increasingly popular over time, and it was also created by the Martin Agency. These ads feature Neanderthal-like cavemen in a modern day setting.

The ad or commercial has the tagline “GEICO: So easy a caveman could do it,” and then shows the cavemen being upset that they are still stereotyped as stupid and backwards. These ads show the cavemen as being active members of modern society, being smart and cultured among their peers. These GEICO commercials show them in various settings of everyday living, such as eating out, arriving at exclusive parties and seeing their therapists. The cavemen are seen as being a normal part of today’s society yet still being stereotyped as dumb and backwards, and this is where the ads’ humor lies. The cavemen try to defend themselves, unsuccessfully, and get increasingly annoyed. These new GEICO ads became so popular a series of interactive websites were then created. GEICO’s in-house creative team at Caveman’s Crib wrote and produced the successful series. Subsequently, a TV series entitled Cavemen was born, and debuted on ABC Television in the fall of 2007. That same year, GEICO started its own social networking website. My Great Rides was created specifically for motorcycle owners and was developed as a place to share stories, pictures and comments on bikes and lives.

My Great Rides has proven to be another successful endeavor by GEICO. GEICO insurance sponsors a car in the NASCAR Busch Series, Number 7. Number 7 is driven by Mike Wallace. A commercial was developed that shows a race team and a young boy who says he is a relative of Mike Wallace and that he is a better driver than Mike Wallace. In the commercial, the boy says, “When people see Mike Wallace and the GEICO Number 7 doing well, they’ll think of saving a bunch of money on car insurance. But when they see me, they’ll say, “There goes Lauren Wallace; the greatest thing to ever climb into a racecar.” These NASCAR commercials are produced in different format. One such format is an interview.

An unseen narrator talks to the eager go-kart driver, saying, “What do you think of Mike Wallace?” The child answers, “Whatever, he’s out there selling car insurance; I’m out there to win.” The narrator then asks about the child’s relation to Mike Wallace, to which he replies, “I didn’t say I wouldn’t go fishing with the man, all I’m saying is if he comes near me, I’ll put him in the wall.” The narrator responds to this remark with his own quip,” You don’t race in the Busch Series.” The boy then answers, “Listen, go-kart track, grocery store, those remote controlled boats; when it comes to Mike Wallace the story ends with me putting him in the wall.” There are newer ads to this NASCAR GEICO insurance series where the boy refers to himself as “100 miles away and ready to strike,” and also as “lightning in a bottle”. The ever-popular website YouTube also features GEICO ads. These videos show acts that seem to have no bearing on buying car insurance, such as a hallway mattress fight or a strange collection of expressions muttered by a webcam user (YouTube’s Brandon Hardesty).

An announcer narrates again in the background of these ads, telling the audience that “There may be better ways to spend 15 minutes online.” This implies that instead of watching dumb videos, you could be getting a quote from GEICO insurance. These videos are similar to the “Stupid Things” advertisements. They are also aired back-to-back in sets of two. TRS, which is the show The Real Scoop, was previewed in September of 2007.This series of ads was related to an E! True Hollywood Story-type show about fictional TV characters that were famous, such as Fred Flintstone, Cabbage Patch Kids and Jed Clampett. These characters claimed to be insured thru GEICO, featuring pretend interviews by pretend investigators. GEICO Competition There are many other insurance companies out there who are in competition with GEICO insurance. These major competitors include, but are not limited to, Allstate, Nationwide, Progressive, State Farm and USAA. Progressive can be aggressive in their advertisements, and many of GEICO’s ads counter Progressive’s claims of being able to quote their rates and several of their competitors’ rates on their website.

GEICO History Leo and Lillian Goodwin took a risk in the mid-1930’s to create their company. While the Great Depression roared on, and thousands of people were struggling to survive, they founded one of the most respected and successful companies of their time. GEICO stands for Government Employees Insurance Company. Leo Goodwin began the company while he resided in Texas. His plan was to market his insurance to specific consumer groups, with the goal to keep his company’s costs low. That way he could pass his savings on to his customers while still earning a profit. Goodwin was successful and GEICO started to become a popular company. In 1936, Goodwin opened a GEICO operation in Washington, D.C. As an established bookkeeper, Lillian Goodwin worked side by side with her husband to start his company and became an active figure early on. She took care of all the company’s accounting tasks as well as helping to underwrite policies, set insurance rates, issue policies to customers and advertise GEICO premium rates to target customers. Federal employees and top noncommissioned Military officers were the main targeted groups.

The staff of GEICO totaled 12 people in 1936, although there were already 3,700 policies in force. A family friend of the Goodwin’s joined the company in 1948. Lorimar Davidson was an investment banker who joined GEICO insurance and helped the Goodwins find new investors when the original ones decided to move on to new opportunities. A new investor in the company was Benjamin Graham, who was a business professor at Columbia University in New York. He had Warren Buffett in his class at one point. In 1951 Buffett became part of the GEICO family. The story goes that in the year of 1951 Buffett took a train ride to the state of Washington on a Saturday to learn about the GEICO Company. Unfortunately for him, the office was closed. But a working janitor directed him on where to find Davidson, who took it upon himself to describe the company and all of its advantages. From that one meeting, Buffett learned enough to make his first purchase of GEICO stock. Davidson became Goodwin’s successor when he officially retired in the year 1958.

GEICO’s new headquarters opened in Chevy Chase, Maryland, in 1959. Davidson became president of this particular branch while GEICO insurnace continued on successfully into its third decade of business. As the ’60’s rolled on, GEICO insurance became more and more successful, fulfilling policyholders’ needs left and right. In 1964, they passed the one million policyholder mark, and in 1965 insurance premiums reached a grand total of $150 million. In 1966, net earnings doubled to $13 million. GEICO started opening numerous sales and service offices to meet the needs of walk-in customers. Their very first drive-in claims office made its appearance in 1965. The first half of the 1970s was a rough time for GEICO insurance. As the Goodwin’s were in the midst of their retirement, Lillian died in 1970. The following year brought Leo Goodwin’s death. As aggressive expansion of other insurance companies started becoming an issue in the mid-70’s, loss reserves at GEICO started showing. The company went thru a difficult time for awhile.

GEICO pressed on even during those rough years. They continued to strengthen their underwriting and other company policies to keep up with their reputation as a fiscally sound corporation. In 1976, Warren Buffett purchased a second share of GEICO stock, reported to total 1 million shares in all. A chief investment officer joined the GEICO family in 1979. This was Lou Simpson. In the 1980s prudent underwriting went on, and the expansion of the GEICO insurance company was slow but steady. 24-hour, 7 day a week and 365 days a year telephone service was introduced for claims, sales and service in 1981. GEICO’s intent with this new feature was to prove their incredible emphasis on customer service. A new chairman was introduced in 1993. Olza “Tony” Nicely became chairman, president and CEO of GEICO. He helped work to enlarge the customer base through a new and improved four-company plan. Increased advertising budgets also helped GEICO become better known and recognized throughout the nation. Warren Buffett was impressed by the continuing success of this insurance company.

So in 1995, his Berkshire Hathaway investment firm made a very large bid to obtain the remaining stock shares of GEICO. By 1996, GEICO was a subsidiary of a company that was one of the biggest and best in the nation. Advertising became a very important aspect of GEICO insurance. Direct mail pieces were sent out and filled mailboxes around the country. Ads were seen everywhere, and the company’s growth climbed even higher. The now-famous GEICO gecko was introduced in television ads in 2000 and has since been an advertising icon. The International Insurance Society Hall of Fame inducted Leo Goodwin in 2001. Goodwin’s ideas continue to help GEICO grow and develop even years after his passing. 2003 saw GEICO insurance surpass 5 million policyholders. Operations also opened in Tucson, Arizona, in December of that year. GEICO also opened a new center in Buffalo, New York, and company officials marked the opening with an official announcement. As the Buffalo office was up and running thru 2004, another big announcement was made that summer. GEICO announced that they were reentering the New Jersey vehicle market.

This made it into the local news, as well as the regional and national news. By December of 2004, GEICO had reached the 6 million mark in policyholders. GEICO currently has over 21,500 associates of their company in 12 major locations around the country. They celebrate their success and their recent return to New Jersey. The founders of the company, Leo and Lillian Goodwin, would no doubt be very proud of the booming success that the company has become. The future of the company is still strong. Tony Nicely believes that as long as knowledgeable associates continue to be employed with the company, GEICO insurance will grow surely and steadily. He believes that GEICO’s way of thinking can be summed up in three points: excellent coverage, low prices, and outstanding customer service. More About GEICO GEICO is a company based in the United States. GEICO is a personal lines automobile insurance company that stands for Government Employees Insurance Companies. The name may be a bit misleading as it was actually never a government agency. Instead, it was developed as a private firm originally thought up by the above-mentioned Leo and Lillian Goodwin to sell auto insurance straight to federal government employees and their families.

GEICO assumed that these people would be more financially stable than the general public, therefore being less of a financial risk to their company. GEICO began to insure to the general public in the ’70s after real-time access to driving records became available. GEICO likes to deal with their policyholders more by telephone and via the Internet. This way it frees up capital that would have to be spent on employing agents throughout the field. However, GEICO does offer field agents and offices, mostly near military bases, and these agents are known as GFR’s, or GEICO Field Representatives. Currently, GEICO insurance provides coverage for 10 million vehicles owned by 7 million policyholders. They are a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. GEICO’s advertising strategy is known for its sheer volume and that it focuses mainly on their mascots, most notably the gecko and the cavemen.

The gecko’s accent was changed a few times, more recently to reflect on the working class, in an effort to “humanize” him and make him “more accessible and someone you enjoy listening to, some bloke you want to get to know.” GEICO also used parody ads, featuring Japanese idol fan clubs, upcoming Saturday morning cartoons that were only fictional, and senator election campaign ads. The ending always goes, “But it won’t save you money on car insurance!” After that slogan is heard, the commercial ends with “Why haven’t you called GEICO?” GEICO is a headstrong company that has proved its worthiness in the amount of years it has been around and the millions of policyholders who are satisfied. 10 Ways to Save on Auto Insurance 10 Ways to Save on Auto Insurance by Vered DeLeeuw · 9 comments I was so fed up with my insurance company! Premium hikes every single year, even though we never filed a single claim; an indifferent agent; and a premium that was outrageously expensive to begin with. For a few years, I was so busy raising small kids that I neglected our finances.

But as soon as my kids grew up a little, and I had more time on my hands, I knew it was time to start shopping around for a new insurer. So I cleared up a morning, and started making phone calls. My first step with each insurer I was considering was to check its financial strength on the A.M. Best website . Admittedly, if you don’t purchase life insurance, this is not as important, but I still wanted to make sure the insurer I was considering was not about to collapse anytime soon. Of course, these things change, and after the recent financial crisis, it probably makes sense to pay another visit to the A.M. Best website (it’s on my to-do list!) Next, I talked with several insurance companies’ representatives. Remember the GEICO tagline, “fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance?” Well, this is not exactly the case. The truth is that if you really want to save, you will need to spend at least half an hour with each representative. This is actually a good thing, as you WANT them to walk you through every possible way you can save money with them. Here are the things you should be asking/ discussing: 1.

Can I get a group discount? Some insurance companies offer group discounts. For example, when I bought a BMW, I received an offer from Liberty Mutual to enjoy its group discount for BMW owners. 2. If I insure all my vehicles AND my home with you, will I get a discount? Most insurance companies offer a discount if you carry more than one policy with them. 3. Do you offer a good driver discount? 4. Do you offer a Professional Group discount? – Some insurance companies offer a discount if you belong to certain professions – just because you belong to that profession, even if you don’t actually belong to any group or organization related to that profession. Next, go over the policy (whether an offer from one of the companies you talked with or your current policy), line by line, and make sure you do the following: 5. Raise your deductibles. The higher the deductible, the lower your monthly premium. I have raised our collision deductible to $1000 and our “other than collision” deductible to $500. 6. Do you NEED coverage for damage to your car? Liability coverage and uninsured motorists’ coverage are probably a must.

But if your car is very old and very low in value, you could decide that you don’t really need to pay for damage to your car at all – whether collision or otherwise. 7. Do you need “transportation expenses?” I’ve decided that even if we can’t drive one of our cars, we’ll be able to manage without renting a car, so removed this section from the policy. I did however keep towing coverage. 8. How much do you drive? The default mileage on your policy is likely the average US mileage. If you drive less, your premium could be lower, especially if the car is classified as “pleasure use” rather than “commute.” 9. Make sure you get any vehicle discounts such as discounts for an anti-lock braking system, for anti-theft devices or for air bags. 10. Review your policy at each renewal. Tedious – yes. But important. Make sure that all your discounts still apply, and check to see if you may be eligible for additional discounts. I was able to save several hundred dollars in annual premiums after switching to a new insurance company and making sure I was receiving all the discounts.

It didn’t take me fifteen minutes – it took several hours of research – but I think it was well worth it. Money Saving Tip: An incredibly effective way to save more is to reduce your monthly Internet and TV costs. Click here for the current Verizon FiOS promotion codes and promos to see if you can save more money every month from now on. Subscribe (and Get a Mini-Course Too!) Subscribe to our newsletter to grab free amazing content and have it delivered to you . A 7-part mini course to help you spend less and be happy will be sent to you when you subscribe, and you will also get an ever-expanding How to Save Money on Everything ebook. Alternatively, stay engaged in our discussions via our twitter and facebook pages . (Don't worry about spam, because we hate it as much as you do!) { read the comments below or add one }

Question: Fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance is used by what insurance company?
Answer: Geico